Mobile electronic devices are very well known, and such devices have become increasingly popular. Indeed, mobile electronic devices such as cellular telephones, handheld video game devices, and digital media players have now become virtually ubiquitous in many societies. Many electronic devices utilize acoustic transducers (e.g., loudspeakers, microphones, or piezoelectronic elements) to generate and/or receive sound. For example, most cellular telephone devices include at least one loudspeaker to accommodate speakerphone functions, audio playback functions, ring tone functions, and the like. The volume, fidelity, and other performance characteristics of the loudspeaker (e.g., “how good is the speakerphone feature?”) in a mobile electronic device can play an important role in the decision to purchase one device over another.
A loudspeaker in a mobile electronic device may be associated with an external audio port opening that accommodates the sound emitted by the loudspeaker. Unfortunately, unprotected and uncovered external ports in an electronic device can allow contaminants such as water, dirt, and dust to enter the interior of the device housing. Moreover, unprotected and uncovered external ports may provide a clear line of sight into the interior space of the device. For example, it may be possible for a person to see some or all of the underlying acoustic transducer and/or other components of the electronic device through an acoustic port opening. Although such visibility may not adversely impact the performance of the device, it can be cosmetically unappealing. Accordingly, acoustically “transparent” material (such as an acoustic mesh or screen) can be used to cover the loudspeaker and, thus, obscure its visibility. In certain applications, however, a layer of acoustic mesh material may not provide sufficient cosmetic masking of the underlying device components. Moreover, some acoustic mesh materials may degrade the audio performance of the loudspeaker.
Accordingly, there is a need for an electronic device with an improved acoustic mesh system.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus components have been represented where appropriate in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.